NHTSA Complaint #10678811 — 2003 GMC YUKON XL 2500

IN DECEMBER 2013 MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING OUR 2003 GMC YUKON XL 2500 4X4 OUTSIDE OF COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK. THE BRAKES FAILED ON ROUTE 26 COMING DOWN THE HILL TOWARDS ROUTE 28. IT WAS SNOWING AND ABOUT 11:30 AT NIGHT. WE SLID SIDEWAYS DOWN THE HILL AND ACROSS ROUTE 28. THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED US FROM ROLLING OVER AN EMBANKMENT WAS THE NEW METAL GUARDRAIL THAT WAS RECENTLY INSTALLED ALONG ROUTE 28. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT INJURED, AND THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE ON THE ROAD. I EXPERIENCED IMMEDIATE AND COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. IT WAS NOT A SLOW PROCESS. OUR YUKON IS WELL MAINTAINED AND HAS ONLY 89,000 MILES ON IT. 1 - MY LOCAL DEALER, WHERE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW, AND WHO INSPECTED MY VEHICLE BRAKE LINE FAILURE AND QUOTED THE REPAIRS, DENIED A BACKUP SYSTEM IN THE EVENT OF A BRAKE LINE FAILURE. 2 - A DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT ALL FIVE OF MY BRAKE LINES HAD FAILED AND WERE LEAKING FLUID DURING A TEST TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. 3 - I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED BY FOUR DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOPS, WITHIN ONE WEEKS TIME, AND THEY ALL CONFIRM FAILURE OF THE BRAKE FLUID LINES DUE TO RUST. I DID NOT YET HAVE THE BRAKES REPAIRED YET BECAUSE THE QUOTES WERE SO HIGH. MANY NEW YORKERS MAY HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED THIS BRAKE LINE FAILURE , OR ARE STILL AT RISK OF A SERIOUS, OR FATAL ACCIDENT. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN SERIOUS INJURIES AND POSSIBLY DEATHS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THIS BRAKE LINE FAILURE MAY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE. I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT ACCIDENT FILES BE REVIEWED BY VEHICLE YEAR AND MODEL, AS LISTED IN THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION REPORT, TO SEE IF THERE IS A CORRELATION. WE OFTEN SEE FATALITIES LISTED AS SPEED TO FAST FOR ROAD CONDITIONS WHEN IN FACT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN BRAKE LINE FAILURE.